Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-08-06
Presently one Of the men struck at him and
misSod him hut hoforo ho conld ,.oA.,oaA Gill;.

Presently one OF the men struck at him and
missed him, but before he could retreat Silas
brought down the stock Of his rifle OH his
head and down he vent like an OK beneath a
poleax. Then they closed on him, but for
a while he kept them of, knocking down an
other man in his efforts. As he did so the
witch doctor, Hendrix, who had been watch
ing for his opportunity, brought down the
barrel of his old fowling piece upon Silas'
bald head and felled him. Fortunately the
blow was not a very heavy one or it would
have caved his skull in. As it was it only
cut his head open n knocked him down.
Thereon the whole mass of Beers, with the
exception Of Muller, who was standing
watching. seeing that he was now defenseless,
fell upon him III would nave kicked him to
death had not Bessie precipitated herself upon
him with q cry and thrown her arms about
him to protect him.
Then Frank Muller interfered, fearing lest
she should be hurt. Plunging into tho fray
with a curse, he exercised his great strength,
throwing the men this way and that like
ninepins and finally dragging Silas to his feet
again.
"Come" he shouted, take him out Of this"
and accordingly, with taunts and obloquy,
the poor old man, whose fringe of white locks
was red with hood, was kicked and dragged
and pushed on to the veranda, then off it Oh
to the drive, where he fell over tho body Of
the murdered Kaftir boy, and finally hauled
up to the open space by the flagstaff, on which
tie Union Jack, that he had planted there
some two months before, still waved braysly
| In the hrapza Horo l,o ca,Dly j,,x., .>,,> a.
grass, his back against the flagstaff, and asked
family for some water. Bessie, who was
weeping bitterly, and whose heart felt as
though it were bursting with anguish and i'll
dignation, pushed her way through the men,
and, running to the house, got some in a glass
and brought it to him. One of the brutes
tried to knock it out Of her hand, but she
avoided him and gave it to her uncle, who
drank it greedily.
"Thank you, love, thank you," he said:
don't be frightened, I amt much hurt. Ali!
it only John had been here, and we had had
an hours notice, we would have held tho
place against them all."
Meanwhile one Of the Beers, getting on tho
shoulders Of another, had succeeded in un-
tying the cord ON which the Union Jack was
bent and hauling it down. Then they TO-
versed it and hoisted it half mast high. and
began to cheer for the republic.
Perhaps Uncle Silas does not know that we
are a republic again now" said Ole of the
men, a near neighbor of his own, in mockcry.
What do you mean by a republic.' asked
tho old man. "The Transvaal is n British
colony
There was a boot of derision ut this. Tho
English government has surrendered" said
the same man. "The country is given up, and
the British are to evacuatc it in six months"
"1t is a lie" said Silas, springing to his feet,
~ cowardly lie! Whoever says that tho
English have given up the country to IL fcw
thousand blaciguards like you, and deserted
its subjects and tho loyals and the natives, is
a LARA liar from hell!'
There was another howl of morlcry at this
outburst, and when it had subsilr;i Frank
Muller stepped forward.
ut is no lie, Silas Croft" he said; 'und the
towards are not we Beers, who lave beaten
you again and again, but your soldiers, who
have done nothing but run away, and your
government, that follows the example of
your soldiers. Look hrlv"-aml lo tool: a
paper out of his pockct-''you know that sig
nature, | suppose: i. is one Of ttlc tri,m-
Virate. Listen to what he says" and he read
aloud:
WE'LL DEI.ON ED ItEElt MtI.IEl.-lhl is
to inform you that, by the strength, of our
arms fighting for the right and freedom, and
also by tho cowariicc of the British govern
ment, generals and soldiers, we have hy tho
will of the Almighty concluded this day a
glorious peace with the enemy. The British
government surrendcrs nearly everything cx-
cept i'll the name. The republic is to be re-
established, and the soldiers who are left will
leave tho land within six months. Make this
known to every one, and forget not to thank
God for our glorious victories"
The Beers shouted aloud. n, wall they
might, and Bessie wrlnS her hands. A.srnr
the old man, lie leaned against The flagstaff,
and his CORY head sank upon hi, hrri:a2 IS
though he were about to faint. Thea sal.
denly he lifted it, and, with c!iaailal n,.!
quivcring fists held high in tho uir, broke out
into such n torrent of blaspl,cnly anil cur,i.r.
that even the Beers fell back for Il moment,
dislnnycd into silence by tho force of the fury
wrung from his utter humiliation.
1t was an appalling sight to see this COOL.
and God fearing old man, his face bruised. liz,
gray hairs dabblcl with blood and hi; clothes
nearly rent from his body. stamp and reel 10
and fro, disappearing his Maker and the dag
that ho was born; hurting excavations ut his
beloved country and the name OF Englishmnn
and the government that had deserted him.,
till at last nature gave out, and lie fell in Il
fit, there, in the very shadow Of his dis',oiorcd
| Hav